Family
by LunaNorah
Summary: Harry is recruited from the Navy to fly heavy gunships in Pandora, many years after the English Wizarding World goes extinct. But Harry always had a saving people thing, didn't he? Harry/Tsu’tey eventually
1. ChapterOne

**_Hey guys! I just wanted to let you all know that some of the facts about military and such in this story may not be true in our current world. I'm not in or related to anyone in the military, so all I have is some research, which, apparently, was not correct on all parts. If you spot what's wrong, could you please PM me so that I could straighten them out? Otherwise, my idea is that in the future (roughly in the 4150s) some rules and ideas will have changed. Thanks!_**

"Attention!" a loud, over-enunciated word pierced through the thoughts of one Harry Potter as his captain stalked down the line of fighter pilots, all holding their breathe.

They had been ordered out of the mess hall earlier than normal this morning, and many men were apprehensive for what their Captain was going to force them to do now. He was commonly known around the base to dole out the harshest of tasks to his squadron.

When the man had finished his examination, finding everyone acceptable, he settled before the line in a commanding stance- feet shoulder width apart, chest forward, hands held behind the back, chin high- and he began to speak.

"Alright men. We all know that this is the best squadron the US Navy has ever turned out. We have never failed a mission, and I demand that that doesn't start now. For today marks the beginning of a new opportunity for us, an opportunity to be remembered by more than just our friends, families, and cohorts.

"I have been ordered to give you all the chance to come on this mission, as it is the most important one that we've ever been given- yes, Shanely, even more important than protecting the Queen. Once you accept, there is no backing out, as I must warn you. However, Admiral Correston would be most displeased if he had to settle for lesser pilots."

Externally, the men standing beside Harry did not react to their captain's lecture, as it was prohibited, but internally, Harry could feel everyone reeling at the inclusion of the man at the head of the Navy. This mission was coming from the top, and hell, if Harry didn't accept he'd probably get demoted. It was expected of him to go anyway as the commander of the squadron. He and his captain would need to be leading the other pilots that accepted the mission.

"I would be honored to be included in the mission, Captain Pitt, but can I request a bit more information?" The blue eyes of the Captain twinkled at Harry's request as he nodded in acquiescence.

"Of course, Commander Elner." The tall, broad-shouldered man pivoted on one foot and began pacing before his squadron, eye-brows furrowed.

"This mission will most-likely be your last here on Earth. The militaries of several countries are banding together to support RDA- Resources Development Administration for those of you who remain under a rock outside of our training." Here, the Captain threw a mischievous look sideways at some of the confused faces of his pilots. "They have finally been successful in locating another planet with unobtainium, but it is in the Alpha Centauri system and the planet is inhabited by sentient beings. The scientists selected to go will require pilots when they reach this planet, which the organization has named Pandora, for, if the inhabitants end up volatile, we will force them to surrender with the supplied airborne weaponry." The Captain stopped his pacing back at the central point of the line, turning to face the men with a contemplative look on his face. "It's not much different than when we were in World War Three," he shrugged.

"Captain?" a shorter, bulkier man with blonde hair called, his posture tense at attention.

The Captain turned his sharp gaze to look at the man, but the pilot did not quail. No one in Captain Pitt's squadron was a coward. You do not become the best fighter pilot squadron by bullying and putting down your brothers-in-arms. "Yes, Henderson?"

"Will we not be able to return to Earth after this mission? What of our families, sir?" Harry internally sighed. Family. He had not had a family in a long time. Whatever magic had been hidden inside of the Deathly Hallows- for Harry refused to believe he was the 'Master of Death'- made his body nearly ageless. He still aged, mind you, but it had slowed down to the point where he could no longer tell the difference between his appearance now from over the course of a few decades ago.

All of his family had died long, long in the past- hell, the English Wizarding World had died out long ago too. It was their incest and inability to change that ultimately lead to their downfall. Family would not be a problem for Harry.

"Yes, that is a valid concern. Unfortunately, it is estimated to take five years to reach Pandora. This is why I am not demanding you all to come with me, as your families will have to live without you for at least a decade, if not longer. There is no telling just how long we will be needed on this new planet to supervise and protect our people." The Captain sighed, his eyes darkening lightly. He had no choice but to leave his own wife behind, Harry realized. The burly man had always talked of how much he loved Matilda whenever the squad tricked him into drinking too much- and for a man of his size, it surprisingly wasn't much. It must have been hard for him to accept.

A voice cut through Harry's pitying thoughts, as Henderson inclined his head. "Very well, Captain. I would like to be included in the mission," he proudly stated.

Another man of darker skin followed Henderson's lead and nodded his head, "As would I, sir."

A brunette with vibrant red lips smiled as she said, "Same, sir."

A blonde woman Harry had learned to secretly despise smirked as she confirmed her place on the mission. "Of course I will come, sir."

However, no one else offered to come, as the four remaining members of the squadron looked to the floor, maintaining their silence.

Captain Pitt nodded empathetically, recognizing their silence for what it was, but he could not let his good men and women go without confirmation. "RDA plans to launch in roughly six months, and briefing begins as soon as this is over." The Captain stopped briefly when he spotted a few flinches in shock. "Yes, I know this is difficult, but the Admiral was adamant that you all be told the day of."

An older man shook his head lightly, his salt and pepper hair swaying back and forth, "I'm sorry, sir. I have a four-month-old at home, and I can't miss the first ten years of her life."

A slim Spaniard smiled sadly as he said, "I will have to respectfully decline, Captain. I wouldn't be able to leave my parents and husband."

A tall, red-headed woman's face downturned slightly as she declined, "I'm sorry, sir."

Another woman with blonde curls and a proud personality stood her ground as she said, "I am planning on proposing to my girlfriend, sir. I can't abandon her."

Captain Pitt smiled tightly as he shook his head once. "It is perfectly alright to decline. This mission is demanding that you all abandon your families, and you stood up to me for them. I can never look down on you for your loyalty." Splaying his hands outwardly with a shrug, the Captain questioned, "Is it not family first and everything second? We are all brothers- and sisters-in-arms here, but nothing can replace your first family."

Taking a second to look up at the sky, in which Harry knew he was right about Matilda, Pitt turned back to his squadron with a sharp clap of his hands. "Alright. Everyone, at ease. Marks, Lawrence, Stevenson, and Wallin, you are free to return to the barracks. Your time here will finish within Captain Zander's squadron."

The four that refused the mission stood straighter from their semi-slouches as they saluted, "Yes, sir!"

The Captain turned his back on the split group as he began to walk away, towards the primary building for the officials of the navy base. "The rest of you- follow me."


	2. ChapterTwo

Harry kept his emotions to himself as he marched a step behind Captain Pitt, at the front of their makeshift formation. They were entering a place he had long-since memorized- the briefing room. A large hologram was already set up in the dim room, throwing light across the long table it sat upon, partially revealing the faces of the government officers present.

A man standing nearest to the wall opposite the doors, his back to a large projected screen of a rainforest-like environment, seemed rather annoyed at their entrance.

"Captain Pitt and company, glad you could make it to the party."

Harry saw his Captain's shoulders tighten minutely, but the man did not let the officer know his own emotions, rather choosing to step aside and introduce his 'company'. "These are the pilots that accepted the mission, Mister Zale. From the back to the front, we have Danielle Swarcova, Grant Ergon, Jack Shanely, Meredith Henderson, and my commander, Harrison Elner."

The man- Zale- waved his hand carelessly towards the empty chairs farthest from him, and the squadron sat silently, miffed at being addressed so rudely. "Nice to meet you and all that. The admiral wants to start testing and training for you all as soon as we can, so this briefing has to be quick. There is not a lot of information known about Pandora- I assume you know the planet's name? Anyway, this screen behind me will hold the few pictures we managed to get of the landscape and creatures before it was destroyed." Zale moved off to the side of the projector, letting everyone in the room see the slow slideshow of pictures more clearly. Harry admired the flora and fauna obviously native to Pandora. It was truly beautiful, the plants reaching sizes even he had never seen from his many centuries of life. The Earth no longer held much of nature, so a lot of the people at the table had expressions of amazement. It was understandable though, for even his pilots to break their cold exteriors, as the plants were glowing with brilliant, fluorescent colors.

Harry's eyes widened minutely when he finally got past his awe of the gorgeous plant life and spotted a blue face peering down at the camera from a branch in one of the humungous healthy trees. The picture faded away as he contemplated it, but the small memory was easy to bring back to the forefront of his mind using Occlumency. He had mastered the mind arts some decades ago in order to properly store all of his memories. They had gotten unbearably messy over the many years he was alive.

The creature had small specs of light dotting it's skin while darker strips of blue ran across it's face in no apparent order. Comparing its looks to the men and women around him, Harry decided it had a feline resemblance, with a squished nose, large luminescent eyes, and cat-like ears.

Turning his focus back to the projected screen, Harry's eyebrows rose in surprise at the animals shown on the screen. An odd blue and green monkeyesque creature with four arms and two legs swung from a tree in the still-frame captured by the camera, a huge elephant kind of thing with the head of a hammerhead shark was grazing in another, and odd six-legged horses stampeded in yet another photo. It was the final creature that Harry determined had destroyed the robot, as there were several pictures of it getting closer to the machine and a last one lunging with it's jaws open wide. The animal resembles a tiger in shape, but it had no fur and was completely gray. Large antenna spread from its head in six different directions, and its teeth were uniquely black.

"As you have hopefully deduced, it was the large black cat creature that destroyed our rover, so stay clear of their kind. Unfortunately, we had not been able to get any pictures of the sentient species, but our cameras did spy several crude arrows and nicks in the bark of decaying trees. So it is known that they exist."

Harry felt a little annoyed that the muggles were obviously not interested in knowing more about life on other planets, but this was also an operation focused solely on harvesting as much unobtainium as possible, as quickly as possible. Finding unobtainium when the Earth was quickly being depleted of its own supply was very important to the governments of several large countries in an attempt to forestall public pandemonium.

Harry sat back and crossed his arms as the rude man continued his lecture on the animals of Pandora, of how the air was toxic to humans, that security and safety of the unobtainium would be top priority, and all the other scientist jargon that navy fighter pilots apparently could understand.

"Commander Elner, a word." Turning from the line his fighter pilots were marching in as they made their way to an awaiting jet, Harry nodded to the concerned Captain clutching his duffel bag in a tight grip behind him. "I don't know what will happen once we get to the facility, but I have one last order for you, should I be called elsewhere-"

Harry shook his head with a frown, knowing what was playing in his Captain's mind. "With all due respect, Captain, the likelihood of your post being retracted is minimal."

The burly man pursed his lips as his shoulders sagged. Harry could see the weight of sorrow taking hold in Pitt's eyes. "No one knows what's going to happen, Harry. We're the best fighter pilots this world has ever seen, but I'm not the one who trained you all. Everyone who knows anything about our squadron knows you are the undisputed leader. Keep them safe, will you? If something happened to me, I'd at least know my second family was safe," the Captain sighed.

Shocked, Harry took a step back, his green eyes wide in disbelief. "Sir-"

"No." Pitt clapped Harry on his shoulder with his free hand, giving a tight squeeze before letting go. "You're the best damn pilot I've ever even heard of. You keep your squadron safe- and that's an order, solider."

Standing at attention with the address, Harry saluted with a crisp 'yes, sir'. No matter how mad he was at his Captain for giving up hope, how hard he clenched his jaw, denying a harsh truth that may not even come to pass, nothing would allow Harry to do anything other than accept the order given by his superior with so many officers watching them.

Before Pitt could even utter so much as a 'by-your-leave', the old wizard turned back to his squadron and prepared to board the jet set on taking him and his men to an international training facility where they would reside in the months preceding their trip to Pandora.


	3. ChapterThree

Harry brushed his black fringe out of his face as he quickly took in the huge amphitheater-style room his squadron had just entered. The men stationed around the room were showing them to the front, nearest to the stage, but no one else was being allowed close.

Keeping his eyes and ears open, Harry saw his brothers- and sisters-in-arms tense as Captain Pitt was lead away from them. The wizard lightly clenched his jaw, hating the fact that Pitt has been right, but also hating the gall of this organization. Captain Pitt has been a solid stone for everyone in Harry's squadron to lean on ever since it was founded. He had been with them through all of the tough scrapes and solemn goodbyes. Obviously, the RDA didn't care if their future soldiers were comfortable or not, which could also be proven by the stiff chairs his cohorts and he were forced to sit in.

His fighter pilots were barely able to relax back before footsteps could be heard on the stage before them, and the lights around all of the many gathered soldiers began to dim. Talking fell to whispers as Harry's squadron sat, craning their necks up to look at the stage amid the crowd of hundreds of people.

"Soldiers! It is my pleasure to welcome you all to the Resources Development Administration's new training facility, where all of you will be residing for the next six months before taking your invaluable skills to Pandora," an unidentified man cried exuberantly, and polite applause followed his statement. Harry cursed his short height once more in his long life. "As all of you should already have been briefed, I will skip the boring stuff. While you are here, there will be little 'R and R'. The representatives from over sixty countries have pooled their resources to get all of you here so we can start as soon as possible, but we are still on a short time frame. Barracks are divided into sections for countries and rooms for each group. The mess hall is opposite of this room, through the double doors you all entered and straight across the hall. Breakfast will be served at 0600, lunch at 1200, and dinner at 1800 hours. Lights out is at 2000 hours and anyone found to be out after hours will be the reason their entire group gets to enjoy the sweet mercies of our admirals from 0400 to 0600 hours for a week. Meet at the mess hall for your individual country's schedule at breakfast tomorrow- and that's it. Go find your barracks and get comfortable, the trials to place your squadrons will start tomorrow. Everyone is dismissed."

Blinking in surprise at the quick speech and dismissal, Harry stood with his squadron and began the trek to find their barracks while thinking over what would probably be treated tomorrow in the trials.

He figured it wouldn't be anything much different than what Captain Pitt put them through, and so he threw any worry from his mind.

Turning his thoughts back to the moment at present, Harry realized his squadron has already found their barracks. Conveniently, the US barracks were the first in the huge building across from the building they were in originally. Probably because America topped every other country with its military power, even though they grappled with China often to claim that spot. Harry smirked when he heard the British troops walking deeper into the huge building. Which reminded Harry, as all kinds of different languages flooded around him, that he had made a promise to Pitt to keep his squadron safe.

Emerging in the into the hallway marked 'United States', Harry quickly walked over to the room labeled 'Navy Fighter Pilots' and entered, ignoring the random calls of soldiers trying to find their buddies.

Seeing the room in which Harry would have to reside for the next six months pleasantly surprised the wizard. He had expected something small, bland, and bare, as the navy was wont to do when furnishing their soldiers' barracks, but the RDA seemed to have other ideas. There were three bunk beds on the three walls in front of him with actual twin mattresses, a blanket, and a decent pillow. The woodwork of the bunk beds even had drawers carved into them for each soldier. In a corner of the room, between two of the bunks, there was a heater/cooling system, a small refrigerator and a microwave were in another corner, and an entire medical bag hung from the wall in the final corner.

Smiling lightly, Harry sat down on the bottom bunk of the bed on the right wall of the room, closing his eyes in meditation while his cohorts found their ways into the room and fought over who would get which bed.

By the time it was determined that the girls would take the bunk at the back of the room, the two boys would have the left-side bunk, and Harry would sleep with Captain Pitt, the wizard had settled protection and detection wards around the circumference of the room and thick translation spells on himself. It was best to know everything going on around you if you had the ability to, especially when it seemed that all the squadrons would be out to get each other to be the top dogs.

Speaking of which, Harry could hear his squad mates getting to know the other American soldiers. "So what- you think you're the best squadron? Please, everyone knows us Navy SEALS are the real deal. Just because you're good at flying your little planes doesn't mean jack shit." Harry rolled his eyes. Over the course of his long life, he had quickly learned that normal life was boring, and so, had joined the best military in the world. America had its fingers in many of the pies, as Harry quickly learned upon entering, so there was always something to do. He had jumped around to different sectors of the military when people started to get suspicious of his longer life, but his time as a navy SEAL hadn't been the most enjoyable. Many of the people in his group had been right pricks to the other units.

"Damien, come on, man. Back off." Well, most had been pricks. But Harry figured he knew how this was going to end up.

Hoisting himself up off his bed with a sigh, the ancient man appearing to be in his twenties walked from his room into a tense situation in the common room.

Grant Ergon stood nose to nose with a hulking man who fit the name Damien. He wasn't handsome by any means, and his face was tinted red in both embarrassment and anger. Another man of similar build, but more lean was trying to pull the SEAL back, but he was standing his ground.

Harry's pilot gave a sharp smile, blinding in its brightness against his darker skin, and replied, "No, thank you, but it's okay. I want to hear this. What did you want to say to me, Damien?"

The SEAL growled with a glower on his face, but backed off suddenly, as if struck by a 'brilliant idea'- one Harry had seen many of his cohorts pull during his time with the SEALs. The brute smirked as he challenged, "What I wanted to say is that I bet none of your stupid pilots can beat any of our seals in our monthly testing."

Damien smirked as he crossed his arms in front of his broad chest, but Grant didn't back down. He just smiled sadly as he questioned, "Is that so? I'm afraid I can't join in on this then, as I am most-definitely male. And I doubt our two female pilots would appreciate being 'tested' as you say."

The few other American platoons in the room laughed as all the SEALs' faces blushed in embarrassment. Though Harry spied their leader looking a bit close to bursting his seams.

And as Harry had predicted, the man stalked forwards, brushing past both stuttering SEALs to stand in front of Harry's pilot, who didn't so much as flinch as a meaty finger was jabbed into his chest by the taller, enraged man. "Who do you think you are, Maggot? Calling us bitches? I demand your officer's attention at once. He's got some kissing up to do if this is how you treat my soldiers."

Taking this as his cue, Harry stepped out of his room's doorway and made his way through the whispering crowd. Excusing himself quietly, the soldiers he passed threw his small frame dubious looks before making way for him.

"I believe that won't be necessary, sir. Ergon was simply defending himself and his squadron."

The large officer turned his blazing gaze onto Harry, scoffed, and turned back to Grant. "What, is this tiny bitch your officer?"

Harry stood at attention, having no qualms with letting his magic weigh on the people in the room as he released it. One thing he had learned to never let go was insubordination. If this man was to be going to another planet with him, then he would need to learn to fall in line- behind Harry. "As a matter of fact, this 'tiny bitch' is. However, you may call me Commander Elner. What is your name, soldier?" All whispering stopped as every man and woman turned to look at Harry's small stature with surprise, noticing the Company Commander and Naval Aviator badges upon his uniform's collar when Harry dispelled the light notice-me-not charms he had put on them.

Shock filled the man's face as he turned around and stood at attention along with the rest of the room. "Apologies, Commander Elner. I am Ensign Whellman. I was not informed you would be here."

Harry waves his hands to dismiss the crowd's attention, but did not dismiss Whellman's. He couldn't be seen as too lenient, or he would lose some of his hard-earned respect. No one could get away with calling a higher-ranked officer a 'tiny bitch'. "Well, this was all rather sudden, wasn't it? But see to it that it never happens again, Ensign."

"Of course, Commander."

Harry turned to his soldier, ignoring the man still at attention in order to address his own pilot. "Well done, Ergon. I am pleased that you defended our squadron so ingeniously," Grant smiled lightly, "however, you and I both know of what they are addressing. What say you to a little friendly competition?"

Grant's smile widened as his face filled with mischief. "Why, Commander, I would be most pleased to oblige them, sir."

Smirking, Harry nodded to Whellman. "Ensign, your SEAL's challenge has been accepted. Our units will meet outside the building in five minutes to begin. You may be dismissed."

The man dropped his arm and retreated to his platoon's room with his proverbial tail between his legs, and Harry cracked a smirk as he turned to rally his troops, Grant following on his heels.

A large crowd of people from all over the world stood around two groups of navy soldiers outside a large building in the middle of a dessert. The heat was just abating as the sun dipped low in the sky, but no one paid it any attention, as all their focus was on the competition about to commence.

"Commander Elner, my platoon is ready whenever you deem fit. Would you prefer we start with the sit-ups, sir?"

"Perfectly fine, Ensign Whellman. We will do sit-ups for as long as we are able. Pushups next, then pull-ups, and, finally, a fast lap around the building."

Harry turned from the SEALs to look at his group, already on the ground with competitive smiles on their faces. Harry gave them a smirk of his own before turning to the whispering crowd around him, silently pleased to be able to understand all the conversations flowing around him. Harry had not always been the best at complicated non-combatant magic, but after moving to the Unspeakables Department in the Ministry of Magic due to the rousing suspicion of his appearance, he worked diligently on rounding out his magical knowledge.

Clearing his throat to grant him most of the crowd's attention, Harry asked, "Would anyone mind setting our cadence?"

A man from the British Royal Air Force if Harry remembered correctly- which he did- stepped forwards with a sharp British salute. "I would be honored, Commander."

Harry nodded with a smile as he replied, "Right, thank you..?"

"Flight Lieutenant Briggs, sir."

Harry laid down on the ground and assumed the military position for sit-ups. "You may begin, Flight Lieutenant."

And so the constant stream of 'up's and 'down's began, but, for which many soldiers were thankful, the Brit spoke with a bit of rapidity. This way, the officers wouldn't be standing, watching the skilled men and women for hours.

Somewhat surprising to many, the flight officers didn't drop out of the competition around fifty sit-ups, though everyone understood when the first person to drop was the older fighter pilot who stopped at the seventieth mark. It was when Briggs called the eightieth mark that a blonde woman and one of the more lean SEALs stopped, lying flat on their backs in exhaustion. Upon eighty-seven, one of the SEALs fell behind, and another American soldier watching called him out on it. The other female fighter pilot stopped at ninety, just after another SEAL fell to eighty-nine.

With three SEALs and only two fighter pilots left, the watching soldiers began to notice one participant not showing any signs of strain at all. The short and lean Commander was trucking away without any signs of stopping, unlike the grunts and gasps of the others.

At a hundred and one, the SEAL who started the whole competition fell, and the African American man he insulted stopped just four sit-ups later.

The crowd watched with respect and amusement as Commander Elner blew through a hundred and twenty sit-ups like it was nothing while the last regular-rank SEAL gasped and panted, having to stop to clutch his sides.

However, the Commander began to show he truly was human around the hundred and fourth-fifth mark, as his face began to get blotchy and sweat prickled at his temple. And it was only a few minutes later that the Commander won the sit-up competition as well, with the Ensign dropping out at one hundred and sixty-two sit-ups.

Applause met Harry as he finally stopped the workout around two hundred, standing up with his hands on his sides and sweaty hair in his face. A satisfied smile lay on his lips and Harry lifted up his shirt to wipe the sweat away before turning a happy smile to his competitors, knowing his team was already up and raring to go. Harry always gave his team enough time to recover before he stopped whatever training he was doing. It was one of his small gifts to them.

"Ready for push-ups?"

And so the cycle continued, though Briggs stepped down to let another British officer do the talking as the Flight Lieutenant was desperately in need of a drink of water.

In the end, Harry outstripped everyone with two hundred sit-ups, two hundred pushups, fifty pull-ups, and a five minute lap around the building to prove just how crazy he was, as soldiers watched in awe. The best anyone else of his and Whellman's units had was thirty-eight sit-ups behind him, fifty-nine pushups behind, twenty-six pull-ups behind, and two minutes behind.

As everyone settled in for the night, the sun having long-since set but 2000 hours having not yet passed, conversations and rumors about steroids, insanity, and Commander Elner circulated in every language like wildfire.

The next morning, when news of the competition broke, the trainers were less than pleased, and let those that participated know by giving them extra work to do during the trial periods. Harry's squadron took it all like champs, but the SEALs struggled through the drills added to their original testing.

More rumors spread as the other military officers watched the best squadron in the world prove its superiority. Back-to-back-to-back grueling workouts and the American men and women fighter pilots didn't so much as flinch. They all had to be doped up on something huge, and everyone wanted to know what. There was no way regular people could do what they were doing.

It was like magic.


	4. ChapterFour

"Commander."

Harry opened his eyes, his dream fading in the back of his mind as he pulled his consciousness to the forefront. Looking at a sheepish redhead looming over him, Harry gave a warm smile. "Morning Meredith. What can I do for you?"

The fighter pilot looked down as she asked the question that had become customary for all his pilots to ask Harry at least once a day. "Is the room clean?"

Sitting up from his bunk bed, Harry cast a critical eye over his squadron's room as he assessed his magic. No one had been in or out while they were here, but...

"Yeah, though let the door open before you walk through it. Some guys are standing outside of it, and they probably have some sort of prank rigged up."

Everyone in the room who was awake turned to the doorway and squinted at the small gap between the door and the floor. Pairs of shadows could be made out if you looked hard enough, so Harry wasn't worried about outing his magic.

"Oh, yeah. I see them. Thanks Commander." Harry waved off the quiet redhead as he stood from his bunk, combing a hand through his hair and offering a big yawn before grabbing his gear for the day and making his way towards the door. Grant was just opening it as he did, and a mess of last night's leftovers flew through the air, though it missed any of its intended targets and landed on the ground with a few squishy 'plop's.

"Shit." Three wide-eyed Italians met the eyes of Harry before booking it out of the American common room. Harry laughed as he watched them tuck tail and run, making sure to immortalize their faces on his hit-list. They would be the next victims of the 'Criminal Commander'.

It was really a surprise, Harry supposed later as he brushed his teeth, that the soldiers still tried to prank him and his squadron. His brothers- and sisters-in-arms has fallen for quite a few over the past six months, but Harry had always assisted in getting the perpetrators back. Though, at one point, someone had noticed that Harry had never been hit by those few successful pranks, and ever since there had been a bounty of sorts hanging over his head.

It didn't matter to the old wizard though, as it felt good to use the teachings of both the Weasley twins and Sirius again. He hadn't really had time to prank anyone when he joined the army, but that didn't mean his skills were lacking.

Throwing on his navy garb and running a hand through his hair, the Commander thought his reflection looked decent enough in the mirror to leave. All soldiers were required to get to the briefing center before 0500 hours so that they could go over any last minute details before being brought to the launch site to go to Pandora.

Unfortunately, what Harry hadn't done over the last six months bothered him. He hadn't caught hide or hair of where all the captains had disappeared to, nor did the navy Commander actually learn anything to help him with the alien atmosphere they were about to enter. He was starting to think this initial launch was a half-baked suicide mission. There was still barely any data available on the moon other than a few environmental factors and the knowledge that there were natives living there. The RDA hadn't bothered to send another camera up there, since they'd have to wait six years before any data would even come back.

Shaking his head, Harry pushed his thoughts away in order to clear his head for the launch. His team would need him on this new planet, and getting brain freeze just wouldn't do.

"You're clear."

Harry nodded to the stoic security guard checking him into the space shuttle before grabbing his duffel off of the conveyor belt and making his way into the belly of the dragon. He had been worried that his invisibility cloak wouldn't cover his expanded moleskin pouch, but, just as the cloak had never let him down before, the machine didn't detect a thing.

Walking through the steel, cold halls of the shuttle Harry would be stowed away on for the next six years filled the wizard with jitters. He had asked if there would be windows to see out into the vast expanse of space or the earth departing from the shuttle, but the engineers he had spoken with outright laughed at him. He would be asleep before the shuttle even took off, much less during the flight, and windows were much less resilient than metal, so if he would just go back to shooting things and not bother the men that had actually gone to college, that would be nice.

The wizard just wished he had spoken to someone higher up. His natural aversion to machinery, from its usual explosive reactions to magic, had never gone away, no matter how much time he spent flying planes and driving cars. He had never truly had to worry about his jitters before either, as it was nothing a calming night of flying couldn't fix. The only problem now was that he wouldn't able to fly on Pandora. There hadn't even been a base set up yet, and any man waking up at an odd hour of the night could potentially find out that he was missing and raise questions Harry couldn't easily answer.

Turning into a room full of coffin-like beds with their glass lids sitting propped open, a chill went down Harry's spine, due to both the coldness of the room and dread. There was always a chance someone wouldn't wake up from the cryosleep, and Harry really didn't want that to happen.

He was soon distracted from his brain conjuring up scary scenarios however, as a cute nurse walked up to him with a shy smile and sympathetic eyes. "Hello, sir. My name is Nathan Grodou. I'm one of the staff helping put you all into your specified chambers. What is your name, sir?"

Brown eyes turned to a clipboard propped up against a slim chest expectantly, and Harry smiled gently. Natan reminded him of Hermione. He seemed like a polite, but no-nonsense kind of person, just as Hermione had been.

"Harry Evans Elner. E-L-N-E-R."

The brunette smiled as he marked off a small box next to where Harry could spot his name and turned away from the wizard. "Your cryochamber is right here in front. Have you been prepped on what I'm going to do?"

Harry hummed in confirmation as he thought over the fact that Captain Pitt's name wasn't on the list, absentmindedly slipping his duffel bag into a drawer underneath his coffin before standing up to maneuver his average-sized body into laying down on a squishy, gel-like substance that coated the body of the coffin.

"Good. Do you have any questions before I begin the process to put you under then?"

Harry pushed his muddled thoughts away as he propped his head up a little to make eye contact with the nurse and smile brilliantly. "No. But thank you in advance for taking care of me, Mister Grodou."

The brunette blushed lightly and averted his eyes, but nodded in response. "I'm sure it will be my pleasure, Mister Elner. But please, just Nathan will do."

Harry's smile softened as Nathan began to twist nobs and tap on the keyboard installed in the glass of Harry's coffin before the ageless man set his head back with a small sigh, closing his eyes as his body relaxed into the cooling gel around him. "Okay, Nathan. Harry would be perfect then as well."

The last words the wizard heard before a quiet 'snick' signaled that he had been completely shut out from the rest of the world were, "Then I'll see you on the other side, Harry."


	5. ChapterFive

**_I added a disclaimer of sorts to the first chapter for those of you who were waiting on this update. Thank you for your patience!_** **_I also hope everyone is as well as they can be during this time. Stay safe from the corona!_**

Harry blinked, smiling up at Nathan's kind smile through the glass of his closed coffin, only to frown a second later.

Nathan wasn't wearing the same thing he had been just a second ago, and his hair was styled a bit more messily, as if he had ruffled it in the time it took Harry to blink.

"Weird, isn't it?" The nurse chuckled as he lifted the coffin's lid. "Hi, Harry. How was your six year sleep?"

Harry couldn't keep his mouth closed as he sat up, seeing much the same expressions of shock and confusion on many of his fellow travellers.

So it was true, six years of cryosleep only felt like a second. Harry felt oddly calm as he thought over the passing of time the universe experienced without him in it. He had expected to be unsettled or confused, but it felt natural, for such a large amount of time to pass by quickly, as it always had since he assumed he gathered the Hallows.

Unwilling to break this feeling of calm, Harry slowly sat up and just breathed, closed his eyes and smelled the sterile, stale air of the shuttle. However, the sounds of gagging did little to keep the peace, and Harry was quickly brought back to the present.

Turning his head to look up at the concerned nurse in front of him, Harry have a shaky smile. "It's just a little disquieting is all. It really felt like a second..," Harry shook his head, physically dislodging the few cobwebs he was starting to notice as he attempted to think faster. "Anyway, how have you been, Nathan?"

Nathan's wrinkled brow eased as his brown eyes brightened. "Oh, just stuck here looking after you lot, though the zero gravity was interesting. Now, how are you feeling? Any sickness? Inability to think? Can you stand up for me?"

Harry blinked as the brunette's words rushed at him, but easily complied with his request. Standing up almost automatically, Harry realized his movements were a bit mechanical, as six years dormant- even with magic rushing through his body to keep it strong- must have weakened his brain's connection to his muscles.

"Here, let me help." Harry's brain short-circuited as warm, gentle hands snaked around his neck and waist, leaving a trail of heat along his cool skin.

"Oh, you're cold as ice! Sit back down, I'll go grab a heated blanket."

Staring off after the worrying brunette, Harry's mind was at a standstill, replaying the feel of the first caring touch he had felt in so long. Where Nathan had rested his hands still burned with a phantom heat. The wizard slowly realized that, even if he felt a hell of a lot older, going so long without another's touch was probably not a good thing for his body. A body stuck somewhere in its early twenties.

Shaking off the funk that still clung to the wizard's mind, Harry secured a heavy exo-pack to his back as he stood at attention before the air picked door to the shuttle. Every soldier behind him silently locked their masks into place on their faces as Harry took his first breathe of pressurized air as he walked towards the airlock gage.

Placing a hand on the button to open the shuttle door, and keeping his other on the semi-automatic rifle hanging on his shoulder, Harry turned to look on the medium-sized group he would be leading out into the unknown terrain of Pandora. "Anyone who does not have their mask on, say 'aye'."

Waiting a few seconds in silence, Harry nodded before depressing the red button and two loud 'clank's reverberated through the chamber they stood in, before a hissing of air allowed the natural light the moon received to flood into the shuttle.

Walking back to the front of the assembled men and women, Harry shifted his head to allow his eyes to look outside, but nothing seemed to be waiting for them.

Turning back to his group, Harry quickly said, "You all know what to do. Follow me and keep your weapons loaded. Don't shoot unless you feel threatened."

A ring of muffled confirmation followed Harry as he walked down the platform connecting the shuttle's door to the forest floor. As soon as his foot hit the grassy ground, Harry was scanning the clearing in front of him. The Unspeakable in Harry immediately wanted to go and analyze the plants, but his military mindset knew that he needed to secure the entire surrounding area first.

Movement caught the Commander's eye, but he paid it no mind. If something or someone wanted to cause unknown beings harm, they probably wouldn't make as much noise as to be obvious of their presence.

Marching to the front of the shuttle, Harry was pleased at the lack of violence already occurring, but regretted that thought as he spotted a blue foot around the side of the shuttle's nose. Apparently, the native species wanted a confrontation.

Signaling for his men to aim their guns at the ground, Harry called out, "Hello. Can you understand me?" It was highly improbable, but not impossible that this native would be able to understand English.

"Are you a child of Eywa, creature? You look like a small, distorted Na'vi."

Harry blinked in astonishment, before the native- possibly a Na'vi- drew a bow and arrow from his back, hissing with sharp teeth bared. Turning to his men as he realized that he still had his translation spell up, Harry shouted for them to put their guns down.

"Commander, you can't be serious!"

"Carlton, put that damn gun down now. He's holding a bow and arrow. This is like the pilgrims versus the native peoples of America, and God be damned I'm not going to make the same mistakes the pilgrims did."

A bit of grumbling met Harry's harsh statement, but the Commander did not curb his words. His green eyes flashed sharply before all the guns were down and the wizard turned around slowly with his hands up.

The native seemed to calm down as he returned his bow to his back. His face smoothed as he stood from his crouch, towering over even the tallest in Harry's group. The native then turned an inquisitive look upon Harry as he again spoke. "You are all warriors. What brings you to Omaticaya territory?"

Trying to think of how best he could answer without pissing the indigenous being off, as his translation spell was only one-way, Harry shrugged. "I am from Earth," here Harry pointed to the sky with an accompanying wave towards the shuttle, "and we are here to look for a special rock." Bending down, Harry scooped up a small piece of grass, showed it to the native, and tucked it into a pocket on his uniform.

The tense soldiers behind Harry began to murmur to one another as the native made no aggressive moves, but squatted down, as if he wished to see Harry better.

"You speak, but I do not understand," he mused, a long, blue finger brushing his striped shoulder. "And those that follow you are quick to battle, but you are not."

The native stood up smoothly, and cast sharp eyes over the other soldiers before nodding. "Perhaps Tsahìk will be able to judge you better than I. Come, little being, I will take you- alone- to Home Tree."

Harry's eyes widened as the native jumped up into a tree, turning on a branch to look at him with an impatient air.

The wizard turned quickly to his comrades, brain working a million miles an hour as he tried to figure out what he'd tell them. "Soldiers, complete our round of the shuttle and secure the area. If I am reading this native right, he wants me to follow him for a non-violent reason. This could be valuable information, and I must go."

Harry gave his men a minute to refute, and they did not disappoint. Several men stood at attention and began to speak, but Harry heard one man, a Henry Tensa, the clearest. "In all due respect, sir, I think that is a poor decision."

Harry chuckled as he placed a hand on his rifle. "I thank you for your opinion, Private Tensa, but I have faith that I will not be in any danger I cannot get out of. Do you doubt me?"

The soldier stiffened a little, but continued to stand at attention, his eyes grazing out into the forest behind Harry.

The Commander nodded. "Good. You will all finish your round before returning to the safety of the shuttle and telling the others of what I am doing. If I do not return within twenty-four hours, then I am dead and you should not trust the natives. Ensign Whellman will become head of security in the event of my death. Are there any more objections?"

A chorus of 'no, sir's responded to Harry, and he smiled. "Then, at ease, men, and continue with your duties."

Harry waited patiently as the soldiers began to march around the nose of the shuttle, many throwing concerned looks over their shoulders at him, but the wizard just chuckled and waved.

When the last disappeared, Harry turned around to a light 'thump', only to look directly at the stomach of the native. Turning his head up with a smile, the wizard felt amused when the native's ears flicked back against his head- a normal sign of agitation in a cat. Perhaps these natives weren't complete 'alien' after all.

The native flicked his eyes up to spy their surroundings before stating, "Your people are gone now. Let us go."

Harry nodded, smiling lightly as the native's pupils dilated, before the cat-like native turned around and jumped back into the trees.

Taking a deep breathe, Harry took a moment to call all of his magic. Like a dam breaking, it rushed up to the surface of his skin, racing through his veins. Harry knew he would need a lot of magic if he wanted to keep up with the tall being, but it seemed his magic did not want to be controlled quite yet. It, having been forced to hide away for so long, now sang strongly as it poured into the air around him, swishing through the grass beneath his feet, tousling his hair, and pushing him forwards into the wonderful forest.

Giggling like a child, hyper by the sudden influx of energy, Harry needed no other convincing as he took off into the forest like a flash.

A shout of surprise filtered into his head, but his magic quickly overran it. It promised to keep a tracker on the native and encouraged Harry to keep going. The native would catch up. This was, after all, his home turf.

Awed at the swaying and snapping animals and the popping and pouncing plants around him, a hyper Harry giggled as he dodged and weaved. Pandora wasn't so different from the magical side of Earth. How he would enjoy it here.


	6. ChapterSix

**_All words in italics in this chapter are human speech, _while normal font is Na'vi. I'll be switching up the key for the format of speech whenever one language is used more than the other. And a shout out to Chyllus for motivating me to update a longer chapter. Thanks!**

Slowing down as his adrenaline finally started to fade, Harry took his time admiring all the living things around him. Those odd monkeys he had seen in pictures back on Earth could randomly be seen sitting in or swinging on branches of the huge, healthy trees Harry was surrounded by, and plants grew everywhere Harry's eyes could reach which, with his magic, was pretty far. Some looked quite similar to those on Earth, such as the grass, a few vicious venous fly trap, and some vines, but others were not. A red cactus-looking plant spit yellow acid if anything got too close, as a swaying vine did, and a peculiar red sunflower snapped all of its petals up as soon as a small lizard crawled onto it.

As Harry watched the rest of the lizards glide away via a membrane that extended into the shape of a plate from their back, his magic sang in the back of his head, letting him know that the native was almost to his position.

Smiling in thanks, Harry turned to look behind him, and spotted the native running along and jumping from branch to branch with a fluid grace Harry would probably never accomplish naturally. Harry poured lightly as he realized that he was just too short, though if he took the time to think about it, his magic could always help him. Minor cushioning and lightening charms would probably be all he would need to at least follow the native.

The indigenous being easily spotted Harry standing on the jungle floor, almost as quickly as Harry had spotted him. The native angled towards the wizard and jumped off his most recent branch to land a few feet in front of Harry with a quiet 'swoosh' of air.

Panting slightly, the native stood up from his crouch, a long, elegant black braid sliding off of his shoulder to lay on his back. Harry was a little curious at the hairstyle, but pushed his questions to the back of his mind as the indigenous being began to speak.

"You are fast for one so small, but reckless. Do you not know the dangers that lurk in every corner of our jungle?"

Harry looked at the native in confusion and a little surprise. It was true, he hadn't really thought of the dangers when he took off, his mind too muddled by his magic, but why was this stranger concerned for him?

Shaking off the many questions that were building in his head, Harry smiled sheepishly and answered 'no' with a head shake.

The warrior, for he drew his bow too smoothly for it to be anything but second nature, looked at Harry in what he believed to be an amused but exasperated expression, though he could have been wrong, as the native's tail was swishing back and forth in perceived irritation as well. "Come," he ordered sharply. "Home Tree is not far this way." Pointing a blue finger in the direction of a humongous tree, thrusting up above the rest of the foliage, Harry was struck with a feeling of awe reminiscent to when he first saw the illustrious Hogwarts castle.

A few moments later, Harry was startled out of his awe by the small 'whoosh' of air created when the indigenous being flexed his muscular legs and propelled himself up into the trees again.

Deciding to test his ability to work on the fly, Harry let his thoughts slip back into his Unspeakable mindset- created and stored using some handy dandy Occlumency- and began to formulate how he'd get up into those trees as he began to run, noticing his guide already a few yards ahead of him.

Spotting another of those red sunflowers, Harry whooped as he jumped onto it, cast a quick lightening charm, and was flung up into the trees. Laughing as he managed to catch a vine, Harry swing forwards until the vine was about to fall backwards in its pendulum motion and released, flying even farther forwards to gain a great deal of distance on the native throwing looks over his huge shoulder.

Casting the levitation spell that Voldemort had used so many years ago to get across a lake infested with Inferi, Harry zoomed through the trees, occasionally descending to run along a branch before pushing off with magically-condensed muscles to fly a few more yards.

Harry followed the incredulous native like this for about ten minutes before the indigenous being began to slow, as Harry could see the huge tree- which he had rightly guessed was Home Tree- that was now only an American football field or so away.

The Home Tree was not the only thing that Harry was able to see, however, as they came upon the base of the tree in the center of a large clearing with a small lake on the edge of the clearing opposite the side Harry and the native were coming in from. The wizard could see many more beings with the same biology as the native milling around the clearing. They all appeared relaxed as they sang, danced, rode the six-legged horses Harry had only seen in pictures, or practiced using weapons on crude targets.

The homely sounds of the people slowly began to die out though, as Harry and the native jumped down from the trees on the edge of the clearing. Despite the many heads turned their way, Harry's guide turned to him before either could come closer to his Home Tree. "Little being, this is my home and these are my people. We mean you no harm if you would extend the same courtesy to us. However, we have never seen one like you before, so please do not take their curiosity the wrong way. Do please stay behind me though, as I will bring you to our clan's Tsahìk to see if she can better understand your speech and divine your purpose for being here." Harry smiled brilliantly up at the native whose sharp face seemed gentler now that he was so close to his people. Of course, the way his ears perked up ever so slightly made Harry want to coo. He had loved cats back on Earth- no thanks to his Aunt Marge's Ripper- and found it endearing that this species held such a resemblance to cats and their mannerisms.

Pushing his thoughts back once more when the native began to walk towards Home Tree, Harry quickly followed, as for every step the native took, Harry had to take three. His petulant thoughts did not have a chance to settle in his head though, for the other indigenous beings had slowly made their way over to Harry and the native to see the outsider. Harry couldn't fault the many stares though, as, just as his guide had said, he was indeed a new species to these people as well. The curiosity he held was two-fold.

However, it relieved Harry to know that his assumption of the native's gender had been correct, as he heard some of the beings calling out to his guide and him responding in kind. It seemed these people of the Omaticaya clan were thankfully humanoid in nature. Harry wouldn't have known what to do if males looked like females, old people were babies, and all those vice versas. Though the vast height difference did make the human a bit uncomfortable, cramming his neck up to see the faces of those around him. Some even stood at twice his height, and that was impressive to a guy standing five feet and six inches tall. However, it was as Harry was entering the trunk's base that his thoughts ground to a halt along with the talking of those surrounding him.

His guide, Tsu'tey, if Harry heard the people talking correctly, performed a type of greeting to a couple wearing many tribal-like accessories. They must have been the leaders of the clan, as everyone stood on either side of them, none daring to block their paths to Harry, and so he inclined his head in greeting.

"Chief Eytukan, Tsahìk Mo'at, I have brought before you a being who is not from here. I encountered him and others who looked similar to him on my hunt. He attempted to talk with me, but I am unable to understand him. Perhaps you can, Tsahìk Mo'at?"

Harry watched as the female wearing a type of red-beaded shawl cast a glance at the tooth and feather adorned male before walking towards him with a cat-like grace. She sank to her knees before him and held out one of her arms lightly towards Harry while drawing a small sharp bone from a sheath hung loosely around her neck. The wizard remained relaxed even as the Tsahìk deftly plunged the bone into his neck before swiftly removing it and running the quasi blade across her lips. Her eyes lit up in a brighter curiosity as she returned the bone to its sheath. "Who are you, little one? I cannot taste Mother Eywa in your lifeblood."

A few quiet gasps could be heard from the surrounding people, but Harry paid them no mind, smiling at Mo'at.

"_Hello, my name is Harry Potter._"

The Tsahìk's tail swished lightly back and forth as she regarded Harry in the quiet din of whispers, before the wizard bowed and drew a hand across his face to block it from sight for a moment. When it reappeared, Harry gave Mo'at a wink. "I am called Harry Potter."

"You can speak!" Mo'at's head, along with everyone else's, turned to Tsu'tey, whose tail was moving back and forth quickly in irritation and embarrassment. The male looked down as he addressed the two leaders who had turned their stares onto him. "I apologize, Tsahìk. I did not think he could."

Harry felt bad for Tsu'tey, as the wizard technically did not know how to speak their language, and so he interjected, "If I may, Tsahìk Mo'at?"

The fluorescent yellow eyes of the female turned back to Harry, as did every others, and she quietly motioned for him to continue. "I should also apologize. I do not know what language you speak, just as you do not know mine. I can only speak to you through a talent given to me by my own mother... a sister to your Mother Eywa, perhaps."

More whispers broke out in the crowd, but Mo'at simply raised her hand and they all fell back to silence. She looked at Harry for a few moments longer before gently asking, "What ability has your mother given to you?"

"Mother Earth gifted me with magic, Tsahìk."

The female blinked suddenly at the name Harry gave before her pupils dilated and she seemed to not hear the rest of Harry'a statement. The luminescent dots along her forehead that were most present on her face than any other glowed brilliantly for a moment before they dulled and her pupils returned to a regular size. "She is indeed sister to Mother Eywa, but Eywa does not know why you have left your own mother, and she feels concern. Why are your people here, Haurri Pator?"

It was this question that Harry wasn't quite sure how to answer. The wizard shifted uncomfortably as he thought over his answer. He more than any other knew just what humanity could do to these people. He was not blinded by the talk of helping the human race, because it would be at the detriment of these Na'vi. The purebloods hadn't been completely wrong with their hatred of muggles, but it was born from the wrong sentiment. Muggles were ruthless, and they wouldn't care about these people if it meant them getting the unobtainium they wanted.

"In truth, Tsahìk? They are not my people. I am from a people similar, but different, to humans."

"Humans?" The Chief stepped forwards, his eyes solely focused on Harry. The small being nodded the best he could while his neck was craned upwards, for, unlike Mo'at, the Chief did not bend down to lessen the height difference.

"Yes, Chief Eytukan. The people who come from the sky are humans. They are a dangerous race known for taking whatever they want and destroying what they can't have."

The atmosphere of the Home Tree turned tense as the native's realized that enemies may have just entered their territory. The Chief was standing extremely still though his tail whipped behind him in a quick tempo. "This is not a tale? These Sky People that come will destroy our home?"

Harry looked away from the hard eyes of the Chief as the tall beings around him began to hiss and stomp their feet, angry at the mere thought of their home's destruction.

The wizard turned back to look at the leader before giving a small, helpless shrug. "I am... not sure, Chief. The humans came here to mine your world for unobtainium and no more. It is a rare metal that gives humans great amounts of power. They will find and take whatever they can from wherever they can find it, with no respect for your territory or boundaries. It is most-likely that only if you try to stop them, will destroy your home. However, humans occasionally hurt what they touch without meaning to."

The Chief turned to his partner upon Harry's words and laid a gentle hand on her shoulder. As they gazed met, Eytukan asked, "Mo'at, what does Eywa say of these Sky People?"

The Tsahìk smiled as she gently pulled the hand on her shoulder until the Chief sat down beside her. She rested her empty hand on Eytukan's cheek before she began to speak. "Mother Eywa says that Haurri tells the truth, but that we should not condemn the Sky People for their past actions. These strange people will also bring about great help and miracles to our tribe. She advises us to wait."

The crowd, silent for Mo'at's words, were calmed by her reassurances the same as the Chief was. If Mother Eywa said for them to wait before judgement, then they would.

"However, she is most curious about Haurri and his people. How did they gain such a negative view of the Sky People?"

Harry was pinned by Mo'at's stare, and all he could do was frown as old memories were dragged to the main room of his mindscape.

"Unfortunately, Tsahìk, the humans did a great deal of things to us. It is a long story, but I will give you the rough ideas. My people were called Wixen. We had witches which were female and wizards which were male. We were very similar to humans, as we looked just like them and were born from them, but we had one little difference- magic. Magic is anything and everything. So long as you follow a few simple rules, magic is limitless." Harry sighed as he roughly brushed a hand through his hair before continuing.

"When the humans learned of our power, they grew greedy and tried to take it for themselves. That didn't work, however, as you have to be gifted with it by Mother Earth in order to use it. Unfortunately, this caused the humans to get angry, and they began to kill my people. They burned people tied to wooden poles with fire, they drowned them in rivers, hung them by their necks until they died, cut off their heads, and..," Harry winced as he heard crying come from within the crowd, forgetting that this wasn't just a conversation between him and Mo'at.

The Tsahìk urged him on, however, and so Harry continued. "...yeah. So all wixen went into hiding, and we were split into many clans, but we called them 'worlds' instead. I was a part of the British Wizarding World. My first personal experience of humans was when I was growing up, from being a one-year-old to when I turned seventeen. My parents were killed in a battle between wizards, and so I went to live with my regular human relatives. They didn't like magic- in fact, they despised it- and so they despised me by extension. I was basically a slave to them for those sixteen years, doing whatever they told me to, getting punished for everything that went wrong, etcetera." Harry had a small smile as he waved away the Na'vi's pitying looks.

"When I was finally out of their reach, I ended up meeting some great people, but I also got to see Mother Earth get hurt. By the time Mother's plants began to die, the British Wizarding World was dead."

Harry looked down at his hands, his heart constricting as he thought on all the people he had lost back home. He never enjoyed thinking about this time in his past.

"...I am it's sole survivor. There may be other wixen out there from the different worlds that might not be dead yet, but, if there are, they have continued to keep themselves hidden out of fear."

No native dared to speak as Harry internally wrestled with unpleasant memories he had been suppressing for so long. Forcing them back down again, Harry smiled up at Mo'at through his black bangs.

"So... would you want to see some magic?"

The Tsahìk's eyes shot to his before her expression softened and a smile rose back to her lips. "If you would like to show us, I am sure many would be pleased."

Harry smiled as he straightened up a bit more, flexing his fingers as he let his magic out once more. It purred as it flowed over his skin, and Harry smiled as Mo'at looked at him with astonishment. She was probably so in tune with Eywa that she could somehow sense his magic. Harry idly wondered if any of the natives could practice magic before he added the question to his growing list and threw it to the back of his mind.

"Okay. Do you all remember how I said magic was limitless except for a few rules?" Harry looked to see that a few of the blue-skinned people were nodding, and so he continued, "Alright. It is, and the only two rules that hinder magic are that you can't create food that will actually act as normal food- you will simply feel the sensation of eating and gain no real nutrients- and you can't raise people from the dead. That said, does anyone want me to do anything?"

Harry looked around the crowd of blank faces and immediately felt kind of silly. Of course no one would know what to do, they had just been presented with the idea of magic. There were really too many options. But, despite Harry's inner thoughts, the wizard spotted a small figure- and by small, he meant his own height- running between the legs of the natives, and smiled gently.

The child, eyes lit with delight and curiosity, came to a rest in front of Harry and smiled, showing off the canines that were just starting to grow into her mouth. "Can you make me older please? Mama keeps saying I can ride a pa'li when I'm older, but I wanna ride one now!"

Harry chuckled along with several of the adults as the mother of the child quickly found her way through the crowd and collected her wayward child, apologizing to Harry and the leaders as she made her way back to the crowd, the child looking at him over the mother's shoulder.

"Well, I'm not sure your mama would be very happy if I made you bigger, but I could show you what you'd probably look like when you're older if you want?" Harry called out.

The little child's pout evaporated as her eyes widened, tail flipping and slapping this way and that as she shouted, "Yeah!"

Harry chuckled as he pointed a finger at the child and sent a small pulse of magic her way. The child began to glow a soft blue color before Harry stopped pointing and shoved his hands away from his chest and to his side with his palms facing away from him.

The blue glow flowed through the air from the child to lay on the ground in a circle next to Harry before pulling grass, dirt, and mud up to roughly form the shape a pretzel-legged figure. Wiggling his fingers at the figure next to him, a small flare of magic covered the figure in a white light before disappearing in the next moment, leaving behind a golem that looked like a lifelike version of the many people standing around him. The golem was of a beautiful female with a heart-shaped face, a gentle smile, and fiery eyes. She looked at Harry with a bright yellow gaze before giggling and standing up, lithely dancing around the Chief and Tsahìk to stand next to the mother and child, whose eyes were both wide with wonder. Two twin giggles sounded in the silence of the crowd as the young golem ruffled the hair of the child and kissed her forehead.

The young child stared into the face that she could have in the future with starstruck eyes as the golem stared back, gently holding the child's head in her hands. They stayed like that for a few moments before Harry gently ended the interaction by redirecting his magic into the ground. The female walked back over to him, returned to her initial pretzel-legged position, waved to the little girl, and merged back into the ground.

The silence that surrounded Harry was one of awe, until Mo'at gently reached a hand forward to lay a finger on one of Harry's small shoulders. "That is a beautiful gift."

Harry smiled brilliantly in response, his chest warming at the excited chatter that broke out around him. He had forgotten how nice it felt to bring happiness to people. "Thank you, Tsahìk. I have not had the chance to show the beauty and wonder of magic to others in so long. It lifts my spirit."

Mo'at's smile widened with Harry's response, her ears flicking forwards in interest. "Would you like to show us more of your magic then? Perhaps one more before we eat our evening meal."

Harry glanced at the sky, but instead of the sun he was expecting, Harry saw four moons, one giant in comparison to the other three small ones, and they were beginning to gain a glow, just as Earth's moon did during the nighttime. That must have been how the Na'vi calculated their days. "Of course, Tsahìk," Harry responded, thoughts already flying over what he should do next. A few moments later, a stroke of genius struck him.

"Okay," Harry whispered as he made up his mind. Assuming the position originally held by his golem, Harry smirked as he decided to be a bit showy and levitated to sit in the air, pretzel-legged. Small intakes of surprise surrounded Harry, but that wasn't the trick.

Closing his eyes, the wizard flushed his magic out of him and into the ground, searching to see if he could find any small pockets of natural magic. As an Unspeakable back on Earth, Harry had been forced to learn all about ley lines and ancient magic pockets to better understand and ground his magic without blowing himself and the entire ministry sky high in the event of a failed- or in some places, successful- experiment. It was common practice for all new recruits in the field.

After a few more moments of hushed silence, Harry jerked unexpectedly, his magic suddenly receiving a forceful push, and the wizard's eyes snapped open to glow an energetic green. He saw without seeing a well of magic stewing in the ground, reaching out to him, and Harry gently poked it with a metaphysical finger.

When his 'finger' touched the mound of magic, a tsunami of the foreign energy crashed through Harry, igniting all the magical connections in his body. Tingling from head to foot, Harry felt more than heard his breathe rushing in and out of him in quick pants. Harry quickly recovered his training from the deep recesses in his mind and calmed his magic enough to gently direct the foreign energy to follow his lead.

The energy easily acquiesced, more than pleased with Harry's request, and in the span of a second, Harry felt a weight nestle in his lap, fur tickling his hands.

Opening his eyes to look down at his lap, Harry chuckled at the huge blue kitten he was holding. He had been going for a regular American shorthair cat, which was normally quite small and gray in appearance, but now the kitty was huge and looked almost exactly like the Na'vi, rather than just similar. It's yellow eyes turned up towards Harry as it purred, and the wizard looked up at Mo'at with a smile. The Tsahìk has her gaze locked on the kitten however, just as the Chief and all the other natives did.

Hoisting the kitty up from his lap- because she was starting to crush his legs- Harry offered Mo'at the bundle of fur, and the female took the kitty into her hands like it was the most fragile thing in the world. The kitten even looked fragile to Harry when Mo'at held it, as it was only a little bit bigger than the size of one of her huge hands.

"What is this, Haurri?" Mo'at whispered, her eyes still locked on the kitten as she and the Chief gently touched the purring creature.

"It's a baby cat, though we call it a kitten. They were a species that lived back on Earth. Humans loved them, and one clan even worshipped them."

The kitten picked up its head and looked at Eytukan when he retracted his hand. It mewed softly in question and the Chief returned to petting it.

"Tsahìk, can I pet the kitten?"

Mo'at turned back to look at the Na'vi that spoke, and Harry could see the two's resemblance as the Tsahìk reached out her free hand to bring the female to sit on the side opposite the Chief. "Of course, Slywanin, but be gentle."

Harry felt his chest warm as the younger Na'vi's eyes widened in surprise as her fingers brushed the soft fur of the kitten. A small exhale of air left her mouth as she openly smiled, and Harry could almost see the stars in her eyes. It made his next decision quite easy.

"You can keep her, if you want."

All three Na'vi petting the kitten turned to look at Harry, but a fourth little girl jumping from behind Eytukan responded first.

"Really? Father, can we?!"

Harry smiled as the Chief caught his daughter and settled her in his lap. Though he did not answer, instead choosing to looked up higher into the trunk of Home Tree as a hand began to rub at his chin. Eytukan hummed softly as the child began to complain. "Father! Please?"

It was only when Slywanin began to plead as well that the Chief stopped his inspection of the Home Tree. Chuckling, Eytukan threw both his hands around his unnamed daughter's shoulders and hugged her. He shook his head as he said, "Eywa knows I can never say no to either of you, my daughters."

Tsahìk turned to Harry as the two excited girls took the kitten out of Mo'at's hand to better play with. "Thank you, Haurri. Eywa herself is delighted by this creature."

Harry nodded his head as he smiled at the quasi-giant. "It was my pleasure. Consider her a gift for allowing me and the humans to be here."

Mo'at did not have a chance to respond before Eytukan gently pulled her up to stand along with him. All the people surrounding the group of five beings who had been watching the kitten and whispering now turned to their leader. Raising his fist, Eytukan exclaimed, "Let us eat in honor of Haurri, a new friend in the eyes of the Omaticaya!"

A roar of approval swept through the Home Tree as those watching from above agreed with their Chief. Quickly, food was found and shared as a bonfire was started and songs began to flow through the air.

Harry spent the rest of the night chatting with and learning from the adult Na'vi and the Omaticaya leaders. Though every now and then the amused wizard would find himself dragged into giving the children exciting demonstrations of his magical abilities when their attention wandered from the new, playful kitten.

At one point during the feast, Harry mused that the Omaticaya clan was really just one huge family. Everyone got along and shared, and no one had a problem with anyone else. The warm, loving atmosphere on this alien moon, among these foreign people, comforted Harry more than he had ever been comforted since leaving the Wizarding World back when he was still on Earth. He decided it was nice.


	7. ChapterSeven

By the time the feast came to an end, the night sky was lit by the four brilliant moons, and Harry felt at ease. Most of the children were all in bed, with parents having led them off at differing times in the night.

The two daughters of the Chief, Slywannin and Neytiri, had both still been up, but Harry believed that have been because Eytukan just couldn't say no to them. However, it also didn't seem to be that big of a deal, as, from what Harry had understood, Slywannin was almost ten, only four years away from the age of majority for Na'vi.

Harry has been initially surprised by the large gap between human and Na'vi majority, but it was easy to see when he looked at Slywannin, who already acted like a human teenager. She was polite, but an air of maturity and seriousness seemed to surround her. That could have simply been because she was taller than he was, but Harry somehow doubted it.

-

"Ah, Haurri, you have to return soon, yes?"

Turning to the Chief as he walked up behind the wizard, Harry nodded solemnly. "As much as I enjoyed this feast, I need to return to my ship and prove that you all are not directly dangerous to them."

The Chief nodded and squatted down next to him, somewhat lessening the drastic difference in their two heights. "Yes, I understand. Would you like an escort back? Our forests are dangerous to those not accustomed to them."

Harry thought back to when he was racing through the forest with Tsu'tey on his tail. He hadn't had trouble with any predators then, but what Eytukan said was true. Harry knew little of the dangers of Pandora, and what he didn't know to be cautious of, he couldn't shield from. Smiling up at the massive blue leader, Harry said, "An escort would be greatly appreciated, if someone would agree to lead me. For all of my magic, I am unsure I could ward off all the dangers you speak of."

Eytukan chuckled before he stood up from his squat, his feathery ensemble fluttering at the force of it. The Na'vi hummed as his tail languidly flicked from one side to the other. "Unfortunately, I cannot offer Tsu'tey's aid. He should already be retired for the day, as he is still young. ...I do believe one of our hunters would gladly join you, however. I shall be back in a moment."

Harry nodded in gratitude as the giant being fluidly turned and stalked off, going deeper into the trunk of the Home Tree.

It was only five minutes later that the Chief returned, followed by a male Na'vi of comparable age who held a strong and indifferent disposition with a few scars visible along his lanky blue body. There was a bow slung across his shoulders as well, but a small smile lifted his sharp features.

Eytukan stopped before Harry again and introduced the male as Brinthon, an accomplished hunter and teacher of the Na'vi.

Harry smiled before he realized that the Na'vi greeting he had been exposed to so many times that evening was most probably appropriate for the situation. The wizard brought a hand up to his brow before letting his fingers fall to point at the hunter as he intoned, "I see you, Brinthon."

It must have been the correct thing to do, Harry realized with no small amount of relief, as the hunter chuffed and smoothly signaled the same to him, saying, "And I you, Haurri."

-

Harry smiled as he ran through the trees of Pandora, taking delight in the wind whipping through his hair as he jumped from tree to tree. The wizard enjoyed his small moments of weightlessness and couldn't wait to explore more of this alien moon.

Harry's interest piqued most whenever he spotted Brinthon though, as the Na'vi male off to his side leapt through the trees so smoothly it looked as if he were flying. Harry couldn't even hear Brinthon's feet on the branches. Or, at least, he couldn't hear them over his own loud footfalls.

"Haurri."

The wizard twitched at the sudden loud noise, but stopped as soon as he landed on his next branch, noting that Brinthon was standing on a tree adjacent to his own, watching him.

"Distribute your weight evenly on the base of your feet when you land. Step on the mossy parts of the branches too. You could wake the whole forest with the amount of noise you make."

Harry looked down sheepishly, noticing that his combat boots were indeed only on solid bark. Looking at the branches around him more closely, Harry started to spot the layers of moss Brinthon was talking about. Surprisingly, the moss didn't look too wet to be dangerous to land on, but Harry bent down to take his boots off just to be sure.

Tying them together and putting them over his shoulders, Harry took off running without warning. The wizard smiled at the quiet smushes of the moss underfoot and snickered when he managed to hear the surprised grunt that escaped Brinthon before the Na'vi male darted through the trees to catch up.

-

Harry and Brinthon spent the rest of their time traveling through the forest either playing an odd game of tag or learning. The tag was fun and thrilling, but Harry liked hearing what Brinthon had to say more. Whenever one of these moments happened, the Na'vi male would stop Harry with a word or two, and then proceed to point out something. These somethings were either tips to help him with his technique or warnings about dangerous creatures, like a zize or a nantang- a huge orange wasp and the gray tiger that had destroyed the rover, respectively. Though, when Harry had gotten a look at the nantang further, he realized that it more closely resembled a furless wolf than a tiger, and it had six legs instead of four.

The creatures Harry saw under the guidance of Brinthon fascinated him, and filled his mind with wonder. Every crazy animal they came across reminded Harry of all of Hagrid's mystical creatures.

-

Alas, even with Harry's reduced speed, the trip from Home Tree to the ship was only roughly an hour, and it came to an end much too quickly for Harry's liking. The night was still young and brilliant, but the wizard sensed that they were closing in on his shuttle quickly.

Dashing in front of the Na'vi hunter, Harry signaled for him to stop in between pants for breathe. Normally, running for an hour wouldn't be much of a problem for the commander, but when an exopack restricted oxygen flow, it was hard for Harry's body to keep up with the energy he was burning through.

Magic does wonders for recovery though, and, within a minute or two, Harry was back to normal. The small man straightened his back to look up at the towering form of Brinthon, and he smiled at the hunter's curious look.

"The humans landed up ahead. I'm not sure how they would react to your prescence, so I stopped us here. You can go back to Home Tree if you." Harry lied, trying to make his words sound less like an order and more like a suggestion, even though he truly did not want his fellow travelers to see the huge being. The wizard knew exactly how they would react, and it would not be nice.

Brinthon did not seem keen on leaving though, as the behemoth said, "It is no problem. I would prefer to see these Sky People myself, to learn their movements. My chief and I will be heeding your warning. We will be ready, should they become our enemy."

The wizard sighed softly and nodded. It was not a bad thing to do, and he would have done the same thing himself, were he in the Na'vi's position. It was just rather cumbersome, and Harry could already feel a headache coming on.

"Alright then," Harry said and jumped down to the forest floor, landing with a soft 'thump'. "But," Harry added when Brinthon jumped down beside him, "you have to follow me at a decent length. I don't particularly want the humans to see you."

The Na'vi male easily nodded and stood still while Harry began trudging through the dense foliage of the forest in the direction of his ship.


End file.
